Most modern swimming pools utilize circulation and filtration systems to clean the mater therein. One component of the filtration is a “skimmer” which is generally designed to “skim” debris from the surface of the pool. A skimmer is a relatively simple structure which involves a skimmer well positioned adjacent to the pool with the top of the well lying slightly below the normal water level of the pool. There is then a waterway between the skimmer well wall and the pool wall which allows the upper surface of the pool water to enter the area above the top of the well.
At the bottom of the skimmer well is an opening through which water in the skimmer well is drawn by a vacuum pump through a filtering system, then is returned to the pool after filtration. In normal operation, items floating on top of the water are pulled into the skimmer well with the water. To capture these objects and prevent them from going into the pump, or into later finer filters, the skimmer well generally includes a skimmer basket, which is essentially a perforated insert or “strainer” sized to fit into the well. The skimmer basket is made of plastic, which traps leaves or other items which flow into the skimmer well.
Because of the skimmer basket's shape and its usual construction of plastic, the skimmer basket is somewhat buoyant. In operation, the vacuum pump is pulling from the base of the skimmer well, and the skimmer basket is held in place by the vacuum created. Usually, for a private pool one only needs to circulate the pool water for a few hours a day to maintain water quality. When not in circulation, the pump is shut off. Even for a large and public pool, the pump usually is shut off in the night to conserve electricity. In other instances, the pump may be shut off to allow the user to remove a clogged skimmer basket as trying to remove a clogged basket against the vacuum pump's pull can be difficult.
Because of its natural buoyancy, when the pump is shut off the basket can float out of the well. This can lead to numerous problems. For one, debris can get trapped within the well by flowing under the skimmer basket as it is floating. Secondly, the skimmer basket can tip over while floating and deposit its contents back into the pool, defeating the skimmer basket's primary purpose of removing the debris from the pool.
As described above, it is apparent that there is a need for a device which retains the skimmer basket in the skimmer well, and an improved skimmer basket which can self-retain in the skimmer well without floating when the pool pump is off.